DAY FIVE
If we are going to take part in the greatest revolution to ever take place on this planet and if we are going to be part of the kingdom of God, then we need to understand what on earth happened. The story of what happened on earth is simple in nature and deep in meaning. Most of us have heard parts of the story at different times in our lives, but it is possible you may not have understood the complete picture and its implications.
When Jesus rose from the dead and started teaching about the kingdom of God, we can be certain He went back to the very beginning. In Luke 24:32, the disciples were discussing what Jesus had said to them about the kingdom…
"They said to one another, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?"
The word “explaining” means to open something up for understanding and to explain it thoroughly. He wasn’t just reading with them, He was opening up the Scriptures and explaining stories the disciples had heard as children in terms that would change the world.
Later, Jesus said to them in Luke 24:44-45…
"'These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.' Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures…"
The word “opened” is the same exact word Jesus used in Luke 24:32, only here it is applied to the minds of the disciples. In other words, Jesus thoroughly opened the whole of Scripture and then He opened the minds of the disciples so they could understand. The idea of “understanding” is to put all the pieces together.
Before the resurrection, the disciples heard Jesus’ teaching, but never fully understood it. He had not yet been raised from the dead, so they could not make complete sense of it. He had not yet ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit, so they only understood in part.
Now we have the complete story of the kingdom of God. Here is the rest of the story…
- In the Beginning, God gave dominion to man and woman.
God’s gift to Adam and Eve was dominion over the entire realm of the earth. Think of their dominion in light of what we have already learned. God sits on the throne. All authority belongs to Him. There is no authority anywhere unless God gives it. One of the gifts Adam and Eve received in the garden of Eden was authority over all the earth.
In Genesis 1:26-28, there are two words that amplify the meaning here. To “rule over” means to take dominion or to take authority over something. Then, to “subdue” means to cause something to be in subjection to you. This was the way the kingdom of God was meant to operate. God on His throne, mankind under His authority, and mankind in authority over the earth.
Genesis 1:26-28 says...
26 "Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28 God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
2. Man and woman abdicated their dominion over the earth to Satan.
When Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the one tree they had been commanded not to eat, they gave up their dominion over the earth. When God banished them from the garden of Eden, He separated the realm of heaven from the realm of earth for the first time. Dominion over the earth was passed on to Satan.
Genesis 3:22-24 says…
22 Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever,”
23 therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken.
24 So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.
It is quite possible that Jesus reminded the disciples of this truth by going back and recounting the story of when He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness."
Notice the wording in Luke 4:5-8…
5 And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6 And the devil said to Him, "I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.
7 "Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours."
8 Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.' "
What did Satan show Jesus? He showed him “…all the kingdoms of the world.” Next, Satan makes an offer to Jesus. He says, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.”
If it were not true, if Satan didn’t have dominion over all the earth, Jesus could simply have spoken the truth to counteract a lie. But Jesus didn’t dispute Satan’s claim. By not confronting Satan’s rule, He affirmed that it was true.
1 John 5:19 also confirms Satan’s rule over the whole earth…
“We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”
3. Man and woman were completely unable to get their dominion back.
Paul says in Ephesians 2:1-3…
1 “…you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”
The picture here is that of mankind being dead spiritually, meaning he had no relationship with God. Apart from God, he could only follow the course of this world and this world was under the rule of the Enemy. Mankind was bound by disobedience and subject to the power and authority wielded by Satan. They could only do battle with their flesh and their flesh was no match for Satan. He won every time and mankind ended up powerless. He had no power to take back dominion over the earth.
4. Jesus takes away dominion from Satan.
By His death on the cross, the shedding of His blood, Jesus did what no man could do. He completely defeated Satan, stripped him of all power and authority, took away all his weapons, and paraded him around naked to show his defeat.
Hebrews 2:14-15 says…
14 “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
15 and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”
Then Colossians 2:15 says…
15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.”
5. Jesus gives dominion back to man and woman.
Jesus came to earth as a man, died on the cross, and paid the penalty that was due to man because of his sinful nature and sinful ways. What was impossible for mankind, Jesus did on the cross. Through Jesus death and resurrection, God brought us back to life, raised us up back into the heavenly realm, and seated us with Jesus on the throne in heaven. He put us back in a place of authority, right on His throne.
Ephesians 2:4-7 says…
4 "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."
Colossians 1:13-14 says…
13 “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
What domain were we in as unbelievers? We were in the domain of darkness. And what did God do? He transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved son, the kingdom of God. The idea of the word, “transfer,” is to be completely removed from one place and placed in another.
We are no longer subject to the domain of darkness, the rule of Satan and his demons on earth. We are now subject to God in His kingdom, under His authority. We are under God’s authority and given God’s authority when we follow His instructions, invitations, and callings.
When we understand what on earth happened, we can move forward to advance the kingdom of God with every step we take. Every day can be lived in the power and authority of the kingdom. Every breath we take can fill us with the life of the kingdom and empower us to experience the supernatural. There is no end to what we can do in the kingdom when we realize our standing in the kingdom and align ourselves with His great work.
WORSHIP: Today is a day of thanksgiving. Thank God for everything He did as our Savior. Acknowledge that He did the unthinkable in sending His son. Ascribe to Him the glory that is due His name, as the Deliverer, the Warrior, the Victor, the Crowned One on His throne.
PRACTICE: Write down the flow of these truths that you read about today. Settle it in your mind. Tuck it away as truth, so that you will never be deceived regarding the powerful work done by Jesus through His death and resurrection, the disarming of the enemy, and the transfer of authority back to the children of the king.
MEDITATION: Ask yourself some questions today: Where do I need the power and authority of the kingdom in my life? What does it mean that I am seated with Jesus in the heavens on the throne of God? What do I need to do to fully believe this is true and start to walk in it?
ABIDING: Go back and read through this teaching one more time. Ask the Father if there is anything in these passages specifically for you. Write down anything you hear from Him. Spend some extra time listening to see if He has anything more to say to you or if there is a deeper teaching for you today. Write down whatever you hear.